Chapter 7 : The New Aqua Familia 

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"So that's the situation, Eina-san. We have no money at all. Could you offer us a solution?"

"Of course, the Guild provides loan services with interest..."

"Oh, by the way, the Guild pays adventurers when they exchange magic stones and drop items, right?"

Kazuma quickly interrupted Eina. Just hearing the word 'loan' brought back memories of past traumas. 

Even though he never borrowed money from anyone, he had a debt of 450 million Eris from causing various problems in his previous world.

"This isn't much, but could you please check this, Eina-san? I hope the Guild can pay for it and use the money to cover our registration fees."

Kazuma handed over the remaining manatite he still had.

"Eh? magic stones? And these are quite large and plenty. Let me see... with this size, the Guild can offer 20,000 Valis."

"Then, we'd really appreciate your help."

Kazuma bowed his head, asking Eina-san to exchange all the manatite he had.

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Eina received the manatite from Kazuma and exchanged it for money. After that, she helped Kazuma complete the registration process for Aqua Familia.

"Alright, Aqua Familia is now officially registered with the Guild. I will also be your advisor within the Guild. So please, if you're planning to enter the dungeon, don't forget to come see me. Especially you, Kazuma-san. As the captain of Aqua Familia, you'll need to meet with me regularly since there are many things about the Guild you can't learn in just one day. Since it's already late, let's call it a day for now."

"Ah, understood."

Somehow, Aqua Familia was successfully established without any issues. Kazuma also received 10,000 Valis after the registration fees were deducted. Everything ended happily, but out of everyone there, Aqua was the happiest. In front of the Guild's entrance, Aqua stood before Kazuma, Megumin, Darkness, and Bell.

"Yosshaaa!!! Tonight is the night of Aqua Familia's birth. Let's party!"

"Wooaaaah!!!!"

Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness got caught up in the excitement.

Bell, on the other hand, could only raise his hand slightly and shout so softly that no one could hear him.

"Well, in that case, I'll head home to prepare for the dungeon tomorrow."

Kazuma approached Bell from behind and casually rested his hands on Bell's shoulders, leaning in slightly.

"What are you talking about, Bell? You have to join the party with us. Think of it as our way of saying thank you."

"That's right, Bell! We're not letting you sleep tonight. Come on, let's go find a place to eat."

Aqua also placed her hand on Bell's shoulder, just like Kazuma, and asked him to lead the way.

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Not far from the Guild, across the main road, there was a lively two-story pub. The waitress looked friendly and cute, with humans, elves, and cat-eared girls among them. Kazuma, acting on instinct, immediately led everyone to the pub.

"Oii, this looks like a good place. Let's go in here."

"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility. Let me show you inside."

A silver-haired waitress greeted Kazuma's group warmly.

The waitress's name was Syr Flova. From her appearance, she seemed like an ordinary human. But behind her seemingly normal appearance was a huge secret.

Syr Flova was the alter ego of the goddess of beauty, who was desperately searching for her husband. That's right, behind Syr Flova was none other than the goddess of beauty, Freya. Freya possessed the ability to see the color and brilliance of souls. With this power, she would always take interest in anyone whose soul's color she found appealing.

After such a long search, Freya finally found her husband. With just one glance, she knew that this white-haired young man was the husband she had been seeking all along.

Syr Flova couldn't hold herself back and immediately approached Bell. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the Hostess of Fertility. Bell was shocked when he saw a waitress clinging to his arm and dragging him into the pub.

"Ah... alright."

The Aqua Familia followed Bell from behind.

"Please have a seat. What would you like to order?"

Syr led Bell and the Aqua Familia to their seats and served them.

"I want today's special! We're celebrating the founding of Aqua Familia today, so let's party!"

Aqua answered Syr's question loudly, announcing to the entire pub that a new Familia had just been formed.

The adventurers who heard Aqua's shout quickly glanced her way, then returned their focus to their meals.

"Eh, really? In that case, congratulations! We'll serve you our best dishes today."

Syr Flova ran to the kitchen and relayed the order from the five of them.

After waiting for a while, Syr returned with the special dishes for the Aqua Familia.

"Enjoy your meal! Five special dishes for Aqua Familia!!"

"WOOAAAH, bon appétit!!!" 5x

The five of them enjoyed their food and drinks peacefully. In the midst of it, Syr approached them, trying to get to know Aqua Familia, or more specifically, Bell.

"Hello everyone, my name is Syr Flova. May I ask for your names?"

"My name is Aqua. I am the Goddess of Water, a goddess who guides those who die young to the afterlife."

"I'm Megumin, the strongest Arch Wizard of the Crimson Demons Clan! My spells can... topple mountains... crush rocks!"

"I am Darkness. I am a Crusader. I am the shield of this Familia."

"I am Satou Kazuma. Nice to meet you."

"I am Bell, but I'm not from Aqua Familia; I'm from Hestia Familia."

"Ehh, I thought Bell-san was a member of Aqua Familia because he seems like a perfect fit for it. By the way, was it Aqua-sama who made a grand entrance in front of Babel today?"

Syr ignored all the introductions except for Bell and Aqua.

"That's right. I came to this world and decided to spread the name of Aqua throughout it."

"In that case, I wish the best for Aqua Familia. Also, I apologize for interrupting your celebration. As a token of my appreciation, I'll give you some free beer."

"Oooh, you're so nice, Syr! I really like you now."

Aqua's eyes lit up when she heard she would be getting free beer.

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This celebration ended peacefully. Bell had already returned to the Hestia Familia headquarters, and Aqua Familia had also found a temporary place to sleep for the night, although they could only get a standard room.

"Aaaah, what a tiring day. Time to sleep, time to sleep."

Kazuma stretched his arms overhead while yawning, then flopped onto the bed, ready to face the next day.

"Oi, wait, Kazuma! Don't sleep yet."

Megumin still couldn't let Kazuma sleep because there was one thing she hadn't done today.

"What is it, Megumin?"

Kazuma responded to Megumin with one eye closed, showing that he was ready to sleep.

"Kazuma, it seems like you did something! I haven't done that today!?"

"Huh? That? Don't you see that I'm sleepy? Just go to sleep; we'll head to the dungeon tomorrow!"

"Kazuma, come on! I need to do that every day, or I'll die!"

"Don't joke around; you won't die just because you skip it for a day. Just go to sleep!"

Kazuma had no intention of indulging Megumin's unreasonable request. After all, what sane person would want to use explosion magic at this time? Moreover, Megumin's explosion magic was no ordinary spell. Her explosions were incredibly powerful—rocks, castle, and even mountains could be blown apart by her magic. Using explosion magic at night like this would certainly frighten the people of Orario. No... even using it during the day would still scare the people of Orario.

"Kazuma... if you won't come with me, I'll use explosion magic right here!"

"Stop... stop... fine, I'll go with you!"

Kazuma immediately got up after hearing Megumin's threat. He didn't consider her words to be a bluff but rather a real possibility. After all, she was a member of the Crimson Demon Clan, known for its strange-minded individuals. Megumin wouldn't hesitate to use explosion magic in the middle of the city.

"Alright then, Darkness, Aqua, we're heading out. You two can go ahead and sleep."

"Zzzzzzz....."

Aqua was asleep while scratching her belly.

"Alright, just don't forget to come back soon, Kazuma, Megumin."

Kazuma and Megumin headed to the outskirts of the city. But before that, Kazuma marked their inn with a teleportation spell so he could return quickly.

Even at this hour, the city of Orario was still bustling with activity. Night workers were out looking for their prey. Amidst all the commotion, Kazuma and Megumin reached the top of the city walls.

Tonight, the moon shone brightly, unobscured by clouds. The moon was in full view. It was a perfect night for a legend to be born.

"Megumin, we've arrived. Hurry up and do it."

"This is what I've been waiting for! After such a tiring day, I can finally unleash the power that has been buried within me."

Megumin, speaking in her typical Chuunibyou style, she didn't forget to strike a pose while announcing her presence to the residents of Orario, even though no one was there to hear her since the city walls were deserted.

"Citizens of Orario, behold the greatness of this Arch Wizard!" 

" Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson.

The time of awakening cometh.

Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distortions!

Dance, dance, dance!

I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force: a destructive force without equal!

Return all creation to cinders, and come from the abyss!

This is the mightiest means of attack known to man, the ultimate attack magic!

EXPLOSION!!"

A massive red magic circle appeared outside the city of Orario, summoning a tall red pillar that shot upward and rapidly expanded.

The immense amount of mana and the towering red pillar were visible from within the city. All the residents of Orario fell silent for a moment, watching what was about to unfold.

"BOOOOOOOM!"

The magic circle exploded, waking all the sleeping residents of Orario in a panic. Alarm sirens blared throughout the city.

"Enemy attack!!!! Enemy attack!!! All adventurers, prepare to head outside the city!!!"

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Megumin collapsed from mana exhaustion. Explosion magic was indeed a high-level spell, but that didn't mean it would drain all of the user's mana. This was a special case because Megumin was a girl who was obsessed with explosion magic and always used up all her mana whenever she cast it. Because of this, she could only use her magic once a day.

"Kazuma, what score did I get?"

Megumin used up all her remaining strength to ask Kazuma.

"Perfect 100! Nice explosion!"

Kazuma gave a thumbs-up, praising Megumin for her explosion magic.

After Megumin finished using her explosion magic, Kazuma carried her and teleported back to the inn. They both slept soundly, unaware of anything.

Adventurers in the city of Orario stayed up late and remained alert, searching for enemies that would never appear. They sighed in relief, knowing that no monster had come to attack Orario.

Tonight was the first night, and certainly not the last, for the city of Orario to experience such nightmares. Who knows how long Orario will endure daily explosions without anyone able to track down the culprit behind them? 

Tonight marks the birth of the explosion demon legend in the city of Orario. 

(To be continued)